“Energy in there was just phenomenal”

While Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Hannah Hidalgo is having a stellar sophomore season, one of the most memorable moments of her collegiate career came in April, right after her first campaign. She joined forces with the then-graduating Caitlin Clark in the Special Olympics Southern California basketball game, where they mentored athletes for a day.

On basketball analyst Rachel Demita’s YouTube channel on Tuesday, Hidalgo reminisced on that special day of coaching with Clark:

“It was awesome. The whole experience was great. We got to work with kids who were a little challenged, and so just to be able to see their reaction. They knew Caitlin Clark from previous years that she had come. So, just to be able to watch their interaction with her and how excited they were to meet her and kind of talk to her again.

“Honestly, it was just something that was so cool. But they were lit. The kid had like two back-to-back 3s, get an and-one, and we were really just turnt. So, the energy in the building, I think, it could have been ’cause Caitlin Clark was there, but the energy in there was just phenomenal.”

It was refreshing for fans to see Hidalgo, an up-and-coming star, and Clark, who finished Iowa as a college basketball legend, join forces for a positive cause.

While Clark has made her imprint on the WNBA already with the Indiana Fever, Hidalgo and the second-ranked Fighting Irish now ramp up to visit the Pittsburgh Panthers on Thursday.

How would a Hannah Hidalgo and Caitlin Clark backcourt look like?

Caitlin Clark is one of the best scores in college basketball history, powered by her sharpshooting coupled with her skillful handles. If there was any chance that Hannah Hidalgo would get to play alongside her when she makes it into the WNBA, then it may look similar to how her dynamic goes with senior Olivia Miles.

Both Hidalgo and Miles run the perimeter like a well-oiled machine, as Hidalgo impacts games with her two-way play while Miles is known for her facilitating, among other aspects. Perhaps Hidalgo could pick up a thing or two from her teammate if ever she and Clark were to team up, opting for the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year to be the primary scorer.